A Normal Life
by BlueNinja0324
Summary: "Maybe it was the way she smiled; maybe it was the light running across her flowing orange hair; but Link knew one thing for certain: He would gladly give up his past life as a warrior a thousand times over if it meant spending the rest of it with her, no matter how different that life would be in comparison. If only he could express it to her." (Rated M for eventual Lemon)
1. Chapter 1

_**Link at 9**_

The first thing Link saw as his vision became clear was his hands wrapped around the Master Sword's hilt. The sharp blade was pointing down and was placed over its pedestal. As the radiant blue rays of light surrounded Link, he also noticed his hands had become tiny again, as opposed to the adult ones he had only seconds prior.

Link's stature had returned to when he was a kid, as the Master Sword's hilt was merely a few inches below his chin; but that was only because both of his legs were placed on top of the pedestal itself. Navi was floating right next to him just as the blue rays dissipated completely and Link was back at the Temple of Time.

He stepped off the pedestal and took a moment to look around. _'I'm… I'm back.'_

His thoughts were interrupted when Navi flew right in front of his face and shouted, "Hey!" The sudden burst forced Link to step back a bit. "Link, you did it! You defeated Ganondorf and saved Hyrule! The Great Deku Tree was right to trust you all along."

Link chuckled. "You helped me through most of it."

"Yes… But you did all of the fighting."

Link took a look around at the temple then back at Navi. "What happens now?"

"For you? You go ahead and enjoy your life. You have earned it. As for me… my work here is done."

Link's expression turned to one of sadness. "So you're leaving?"

"Don't be sad, Link," Navi replied as she flew closer to his face. "You are Hylian. Hylians don't need fairies. You will probably forget all about me in a few years."

"I doubt it," Link replied as he forced a smile on his face. "Good-bye, Navi."

"Good-bye, Link. I wish you luck wherever you may go."

Navi turned away from Link and slowly began to levitate up towards the window above. Link raised his hand in front of his eyes to shield them from the sun's rays, allowing him to only see the blue trail of sparks that Navi left behind. He could not see when she actually left, but the sparks were no longer visible, and he was finally left alone.

Link sighed and looked back down at the Master Sword's pedestal, admiring the blade that had helped him fight throughout most of his journey. He reached into his pocket and found that the Ocarina of Time was gone, just as expected. It had been replaced by the wooden one Saria had given him long ago. At least, to him it felt like long ago, but had actually been just a few days.

He raised the ocarina up to his mouth and played a single note that echoed through the room. He parted the ocarina from his lips soon after, taking some time to closely look at the instrument. Narrowing his eyes, a thought came to his mind that caused him to instantly open them again.

' _Zelda!'_

Putting the ocarina back in his pocket, Link turned and began to run out of the Temple of Time. He had initially forgotten that he was back in the past, and was confused when everything looked green and colorful instead of the brown and dead colors from the future. Several birds chirped as they flew by, but he paid them no mind as he ran towards the city's market.

The citizens all talked, laughed, and danced with one another. To Link, it seemed as everything had returned to normal, but to everyone else it was the simple matter that nothing ever really changed to begin with.

Link ran past the market and made his way up towards the castle. He memorized the route he had taken the first time and managed to sneak past all of the guards patrolling the courtyard until he reached the cistern on the side of the castle.

Talon was sleeping on the side of the cistern, blocking his only way inside. Rather than wake him up, Link ran up to Talon at full speed and used his body to boost himself right over the water, exclaiming "Hyah!" as he did. Despite the commotion, Talon never budged and continued to mumble in his sleep.

Sneaking through another group of guards, Link managed to reach the castle's gardens, where he saw a young Princess Zelda standing right outside a window.

Despite his attempt to slow down and walk stealthily, Link's footsteps were still heard as he walked closer to her. She turned her head and gasped when she saw him, placing her hand over her mouth as she turned her back to the window. "Who?! Who are you? How did you get past the guards?"

Link opened his mouth to speak, but instead only stuttered. For some reason, all he could do was stare at her as she waited for some type of answer that never came. He raised his hand but immediately brought back down, taking a few steps away as Zelda tilted her head in confusion to his strange behavior. And still, Link could not bring himself to speak. Something was keeping him from doing so.

"Are you okay?" Zelda asked.

"I…" Link began to say, "I'm sorry. I'll just leave."

Before Zelda could ask anything else, Link turned away and began walking back the way he came. He did not even bother to sneak around; he just let himself be found by a guard and he was carried all the way back to the castle's entrance.

He paid no mind to everyone else in the market as they walked around and made his way to the small pond located in the center. The laughter of the dancing couple nearby was the only thing he could hear as he rested his arms on the railing, sighing as he saw his reflection in the water. A chicken ran past the front of his leg, and a little girl followed it closely behind.

Link remained resting against the railing for a while, thinking about how he had reacted towards Zelda. The thought of being with her was the only thing running through his mind during his entire trek around Hyrule. And when the chance finally came, he hesitated.

"Excuse me," said a young female voice from behind. Link turned around to face whoever spoke. It turned out to be Malon. "You just came from the castle, right?"

Link remembered Malon fondly from his time in the future; how she was forced to work by Ingo, otherwise he would have harmed the horses. She was so grateful to Link when he helped Epona escape and allowed Talon to reclaim the ranch. But now it seemed like she did not even recognize him.

He cleared his throat and replied to her original question. "Uh, yeah."

"Do you by any chance see my father? Round guy with a mustache and ponytail? He was delivering a shipment of Lon Lon Milk to the castle but hasn't returned."

"I did. He was sleeping on the ground."

Malon crossed her arms and waved her eyes. "Ugh, he always does this. I'm gonna give him such a scolding when he gets back home."

"Do you live here?" Linked asked, trying to act like he did not know her.

"I actually live outside the city. In Lon Lon Ranch. Have you ever been there?"

"Uh…"

"Although" Malon interrupted, "I think I would remember if you ever stopped by. I've actually never seen you around here either."

"I haven't," Link abruptly answered. "I, uh… I'm not from around here."

Malon smiled warmly. "Well, I suppose you could come by the ranch any time and I could show you around. You're gonna love the horses, um… I didn't catch your name."

"Link," he replied. "My name is Link."

"Huh. Link… Well, I'm Malon. It was nice meeting you. I gotta go see if I can get my dad out of the castle. Bye."

Link simply waved at her as she began to happily skip away. Even after his depressive state just a few minutes prior, he actually found it in himself to smile.

He turned and decided to make his way back to the Kokiri Forest, taking one last look at Castle Town on his way out.

 _ **Link at 11**_

Link's entire chest hit the ground with hard impact. His green tunic had become completely brown due to the mud, which was caused by the rain currently falling. He grunted and stood back up, giving an angry glare to Mido and the two other Kokiri boys standing beside him guarding the entrance to the forest as their fairies flew above them.

"You see?!" he shouted at one of the boys. "Everyone called me mean for always being hard on you. Well, now it turns out I was right to mistrust you all along. You're not a Kokiri like us!"

Saria ran up from behind the group and gasped when he saw the state of Link. "Leave him alone, Mido!"

Even though Link knew Saria was a Sage, and found it difficult interacting with her knowing the fact, she was still one of the few friends he had left in the Kokiri Forest.

Mido turned to face her. "I made a difficult decision letting him live among us again after what he did to the Great Deku Tree. And now I know I should've kicked him out a lot sooner. Look at him! He's clearly gotten taller!"

Everyone turned to look at Link as he stood up straight from the ground. His height had clearly increased several inches in the past two years, something that no other Kokiri experienced. Now, he was the tallest person in the Kokiri forest.

"It's still wrong to just throw him out like that!" Saria complained.

"He's an outsider! He doesn't belong her anymore. He never belonged here to begin with!"

"Mido!"

"No, Saria," Link said, "he's right."

"Yeah!" Mido said, then raised an eyebrow at Link. "Wait, what?"

Link sighed as he wiped away some of the mud. "I don't belong here. I never did. And I fully understand why you would want me out of the forest. If it makes you feel better, I'll just leave and never come back."

Mido was clearly enjoying himself, as evident by the large grin on his face. "There you have it. He's leaving. That's one less pest for us, guys. Let's go celebrate!"

The other two boys laughed and followed Mido as he went back inside the forest, grumbling in between his words. Saria stayed behind and walked towards Link as he finished wiping off most of the mud from his tunic.

"Where will you go?" Saria asked.

"I don't know," Link replied. "But I'm sure there are plenty of places where I could spend some time on my own."

Saria looked down in disappointment to see her friend go. "You know, I don't mind that you're not a Kokiri. And I don't care what Mido says. You're still my friend."

"Thanks," Link replied as he forced a smile.

"Will we ever see each other again?"

"We might. Until then, I guess this is good-bye for us." Link reached into his pocket and pulled out the wooden ocarina. He extended his arm over to Saria. "Also, this is yours."

"Keep it," she said as she gently pushed the ocarina back at him. "It was gift."

Link nodded and put the ocarina back in his pocket. Neither of them said another word; there was nothing but the sound of the rain falling as Link turned around and began to walk towards Hyrule Fields. Saria waited until he was fully out of sight before she went back into the forest.

* * *

The drops of rain continued to fall on top of Link as he walked through the large grassy fields. His green tunic still had brown stains from the mud; stains that Link knew would possibly never wash off. However, his attire was the least of his worries at the moment given everything that he had just been through with Mido and Saria. When he reached the center of Hyrule Fields, Link had three choices. Either go to Castle Town, Kakariko Village, or Lon Lon Ranch.

Kakariko Village seemed like the best choice since he did not have the rupees to afford a place in Castle Town. Then again, he doubted that anyone from the village would welcome him into their home, except for the cursed skulltula children, but there was good reason as to why that was not an option. It would be a while before he would be able to build his own, which would cost even more rupees than settling down in Castle Town. So the most appropriate choice was obvious.

He turned and began walking in the direction of Lon Lon Ranch.

Even with the dark clouds in the sky, Link could tell the sun was beginning to set. All of the horses and cuccos had been taken inside on account of the rain. Luckily, the lights at the ranch still appeared to on, meaning there was someone home.

Link walked up to the door of the ranch and gently knocked three times. He heard slight mumbling coming from inside, along with the clucking of the cuccos. He knocked on the door three more times, this time even louder, and the mumbling got louder.

"I'm coming!" a man shouted from inside. Link waited until the door was opened by who turned out to be Malon's father, Talon, who rubbed his eye and yawned as he just got up from sleeping. "A boy like you shouldn't be out during the rain. What can I do for you?"

"I was just… wondering if I could… possibly spend the night here," Link said nervously. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

Talon studied him for a while as he yawned. "Well, as long as you don't mind sleeping on a haystack with a bunch of cuccos pecking at you, you're welcome to stay for the night."

Link smiled and walked in as Talon gestured inside. He was careful not to step on any of the cuccos as he walked past, remembering a horrible experience he had with them once when he accidentally stepped on one of their feet. Managing to get past them safely, Link lied down on the haystack that Talon mentioned as the rancher lied down on a box.

"If you need anything, just-"

Before Talon could finish his sentence, he dozed off and went straight to sleep. The sound of his snoring and the clucking of the cuccos was a bit more noisy than Link would have liked, but he simply shrugged it off as best he could and lied down on the haystack until he was tired enough to sleep through the stormy night.

When the sun rose the next morning with the cawing of the cuccos, Link slowly opened his eyes to find that he was completely buried inside the hay. He coughed as he felt some of it in his throat and barged out of the stack while picking them off from his tongue and shaking away the ones in his hair and hat.

Talon was still sleeping on the same box as the previous night and had not moved a single muscle. All of the cuccos were gone and had already been taken outside, leaving Link with the just the loud sound of Talon's snoring. Link sighed and got up from the haystack.

Careful not to wake Talon up, though he thought it would be nearly impossible, Link walked outside and was met with the warm rays of the sun. The horses had already been left to roam free in their fenced area, and Link could see them from his current position. Wanting to get a closer look, he walked towards them while passing by the group of cuccos.

All of the horses were either eating some of the overgrown grass or were just running around the field. There was one particular horse that was a bit smaller than the others in the center of the field. One with a whit mane that Link recognized all too well, along with the orange haired girl standing next to it.

"Malon… Epona…" Link mumbled quietly.

Epona was eating grass off the ground as Malon stood next to her. Despite the sounds of the neighing horses, Malon's singing hit Link's ears more than anything else. He had to admit he always enjoyed hearing her sing every time he stopped by the ranch during his trip to the future; and her singing was no less angelic despite her being younger.

Link went through the gate leading inside the large horse pen and walked over to Malon. She was currently facing the opposite direction, so she did not notice Link until he stood just inches behind her and said, "Hello."

Malon gasped and turned around to face him. "You startled me. I didn't know we had a visitor."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to," Link replied.

Malon tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, studying Link. You look… familiar. Have we met before?"

"Um…"

"Oh, yeah! Link! I remember you. We met a few years ago in Castle Town. It's hard to forget a face like yours. Gah, I mean…" Malon trailed off and cleared her throat. "So how have you been doing?"

"I've been doing okay."

"Really?" Malon asked suspiciously. "Must've been doing quite a lot to get your clothes all muddy."

Link looked down at his tunic to find it was still heavily covered with a mud stain. "I' uh… I haven't been doing that well lately, actually. You probably didn't notice, but I spent last night sleeping in your house."

"Wait… were you the one sleeping in the haystack? I thought there were just some cuccos playing around in there when I walked past this morning."

"That was me."

"But what happened to your own home?"

Link rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "I got kicked out."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Malon replied while rubbing her arm.

"It's okay. I'll only be staying here for a bit until I can get back on my feet somewhere. Your father shouldn't worry for very long."

Malon studied Link for a moment as he looked towards one of the nearby galloping horses. "You know, Link, you'd be more than welcome here."

"What do you mean?" Link asked, confused.

"I could speak with my father about offering you a job here at the ranch. You'd be able to live here… and I'm sure Mr. Ingo would greatly appreciate the extra help around the place."

Link's eyes widened at Malon's offer. "Are you sure? I mean… I wouldn't wanna be a burden."

"Not at all," Malon reassured while smiling.

Link thought for a moment, exchanging glances between the ground and Malon as she waited for an answer. "Okay. If your dad will allow me…"

"Trust me. He will."

After a few seconds of smiling at one another, Malon snapped out of her trance. "Oh, since you're gonna be spending more time here, I wanna introduce you to someone." She grabbed Link by his arm and pulled him closer to Epona. "Link, this is Epona. Epona, this is-"

Before Malon could properly finish introductions, Epona neighed and raised both of her legs in the air, starling her and Link. The horse turned away from them and galloped to the opposite side of the pen, putting in a good distance between them.

"Strange," Malon said. "She's usually not like this. I guess she's a bit shy of you."

As Malon kept her gaze on Epona, Link reached into his pocket and pulled out his wooden ocarina. Malon turned around with a look of awe and surprise when he began to play Epona's song.

The melody hit Epona's ears as soon as it began playing, and the small horse began to gallop back towards the familiar tune just as quickly. Right when Link finished playing, Epona was already standing right in front of him, sniffing his muddy tunic as he chuckled and rubbed her white mane. Meanwhile, Malon still looked dumbstruck at the two.

"Wh-where did you learn that song?" Malon asked Link.

He turned to face Malon while still rubbing Epona's mane. He failed to think of an excuse considering that he had not been taught the song from her yet. "Um… I heard you sing it earlier and I figured it was worth trying out. You have a… beautiful voice."

For a second, Link thought he had spoken too much at the end of his sentence, but Malon simply smiled as a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Thank you," she said while joining Link in petting Epona.

The rest of the morning was spent in complete silence. The few times Link and Malon ever looked at each other was with smiles on their faces.

 _ **Link at 15**_

Multiple drops of sweat came down from Link's forehead. He had just finished arranging all of the hay around the stables into small piles; a task which lasted nearly the entire afternoon. He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away the sweat from his brow, then turned to face Ingo as he sat on the far end of the stable drinking water.

"Hmm. Not bad," he said, criticizing Link's work. "I have to admit that I, the great Ingo, once thought it was stupid of Talon to hire such a young lad to work on the ranch. But you have done good work so far in the last four years. Not as good as mine, but still good."

Link sighed and forced a smile on his face. "Thanks."

"You still have a lot to learn, however. I, the great Ingo, didn't get to where I am in just a few years. For today, just go ahead and bring all of the horses inside the stable. It shouldn't be too hard for you, should it?"

Ingo chuckled as he finished his sentence and walked out of the ranch. Link just took a few minutes to catch his breath before going outside, where the rays of the setting sun shined down on his face along with the pleasant feeling a cool breeze.

The horses were all still happily galloping around their pen. Some of the older ones were going at slower pace than others, but their legs were still strong enough to carry around their bulky upper bodies. Epona was among the horses as well, now nearly a fully grown horse capable of carrying a person on her back.

Link opened the large gate that led into the stables. He put two fingers on both sides of his mouth and whistled loudly-a trick that Ingo had taught to the horses when it was time for them to sleep. And suddenly, all of the horses turned towards the stables and galloped inside on their own, each entering their own private stall where they ate some of the hay. The only horse remaining that did not enter the stables was Epona.

She remained standing inside the pen, as was normal with her every single afternoon. Link kept the door to the stables open just enough so that he could fit Epona through but not enough so that the other horses could escape as he walked over to her.

Epona had gotten used to Link being around during the years. She did not run away from him whenever he got close, but she was still trouble when it came to following instructions unlike all of the other horses.

"Come on, girl," Link said as he petted Epona's neck. "It's time to go join your family." Epona neighed lightly and remained in her spot without moving. Link sighed in frustration. "You know I like you, Epona, but you do this every day."

Epona just sputtered with her mouth and tapped her foot on the ground. Even after she stopped, however, more tapping on the ground could be heard, which confused Link. It was only when he turned around that he realized it was Malon walking towards him with a warm smile on her face.

"Having trouble?" Malon asked when she got close to him.

"She's always like this. I can handle it."

Malon walked forward and placed her hand on Epona's neck. "You know, sometimes I wish the horses didn't have to stay locked up in here. The again, it would also be trouble if they all escaped."

"Yeah," Link replied.

As Epona moved her neck upwards, Link was able to catch a glimpse of something. An unused horse saddle was lying on one of the bleachers inside the pen. Link smiled and sneaked away as Malon focused on Epona to grab the saddle. When he walked back, both Epona and Malon were startled when he placed the saddle on top of Epona.

"What are you doing?" Malon asked.

Link put his finger over his mouth and shushed her. He tightened the straps of the saddle around Epona, surprised that she remained perfectly still during the whole process. Once the saddle was firmly placed on top, Link made sure all of the straps were fully secured.

"It fits you perfectly," Link said to Epona. He held on to the saddle and pulled himself up on top of Epona, sitting perfectly still as she got used to having some extra weight on her back. He chuckled and extended his arm towards Malon. "Hop on."

Malon hesitated. "Have you ever ridden on a horse before?"

"Trust me. It'll be fine."

While still a bit nervous to get on a horse with Link, Malon extended her arm up and accepted his help in climbing onto the saddle. Epona shifted a bit but remained mostly still on her feet. Malon wrapped both of her hands around Link's waist, both of them thankful the other could not notice the other's blush.

"Wow. Epona is a lot stronger than I thought," Malon said. "Okay, I've ridden on horses before, but never on Epona. So what you might wanna do is-"

"Hyah!" shouted Link as he forced Epona to go forward.

Malon screamed as Epona stood on both of her hind legs and began to run forward very fast. Malon tightened her grip around Links waist as he simply laughed while holding the reins. He steered Epona so that she passed in between the stables and the house, leading her out into the open of Hyrule Fields.

The speed in which Epona ran through the grassy plains made Link's and Malon's hair blow back with the wind. Her breathing was slow and steady as she went uphill without having to drop her speed. When she reached the top, Link pulled back on the reins and forced her to stop, leaving them with a full view of most of Hyrule Fields and Castle Town in the distance.

The way the sun's rays shined warmly across the grass made Malon widen her eyes as she looked at the breathtaking view. The circular cloud over Death Mountain caught her attention the most, as it always had every time she laid eyes on it.

Link just laid back and took the moment to look back at her; the way her shining blue eyes looked at the beautiful surroundings. And during that brief moment, Link had to admit she did look very beautiful at times. Though he would probably never openly admit it.

He gently pushed Epona forward again and she began to ride across the fields once more. Link could tell she was enjoying it as much as Malon was from her time being ridden outside of the ranch's walls.

When they reached the outskirts of Zora's River, Malon looked down at the clear water and saw their reflection in it as they rode by. She chuckled and looked up at Link. "You're pretty good at riding. Where did you learn?"

Link tried to come up with an appropriate answer. "I've been practicing with the other horses behind everyone's back. I hope you didn't mind."

"Not at all. You've really gotten the hand of this!"

Link made Epona go faster and led her south towards Lake Hylia. During the trip, Malon kept her chin resting on Link's shoulder, letting the breeze hit her face and blow her hair back. She was about to let her eyes close before she noticed the two gates blocking the way into the lake, and Link seemed to make no attempts at slowing Epona down the closer they got.

"Uh, Link?" Malon asked nervously. "Maybe we should stop." Rather than responding, Link narrowed his eyes and kept Epona riding at the same speed while heading straight towards the gate. "LINK!"

Malon closed her eyes and prepared to fall off Epona as the horse would either crash against the fence or suddenly stop. Instead, however, she was forced to open them again when she felt a jolt as Epona jumped right over the fence. There was a second fence right after the first, which Epona jumped over as well without any problems.

Link chuckled as he looked back and saw Malon clinging her arms around his waist for dear life. She had buried half of her face into his back and used the other half to breath heavily through her mouth. When she opened her eyes again, she was surprised to see they were all still intact.

"Did… did Epona just jump over the gates?!" Malon asked.

"You don't give her enough credit sometimes," Link replied as he petted Epona across her neck.

When Lake Hylia came into full view, Link began to slow Epona down as they reached the water's edge. She came to a full stop right in front of the scarecrow, Bonooru, where they got a full view of the shining lake and the lakeside laboratory.

Malon quickly got off and began to take deep breaths. Link also began taking deep breaths once he did not have her tight grip around his waist. When Malon finished catching her breath, she began laughing and began rubbing Epona's mane playfully. "You did really great, girl!"

Link smiled as Epona rubbed her forehead against Malon's. He got off of the horse and walked over to her, stroking Epona's mane as well. "Did you enjoy the ride?"

Malon turned to him with a smile. "I loved it. Thanks."

While Epona went to the edge of the lake to drink some water, Link and Malon both sat down in front of the scarecrow while staring at the sunset. The water became more orange and more shiny the further the sun went down, making for a spectacular view.

Link sat with his legs extended while supporting himself with his arms against the ground; while Malon sat with her arms wrapped around her legs as she rested her chin on her knees.

"I've only been to Lake Hylia a few times when I was little," Malon said, "and I always remember enjoying the view just as much as I do now." She turned her head to look at Link. "Especially with you."

Link smiled and took a deep breath through his nose. "Well… anything for a good friend."

"Yeah…" Malon directed her gaze forward again. "Friend…"

In the brief moment where she was not aware, Link took an opportunity to take a quick glance at her. Once again, he could not help to be entranced by the way she looked. There was a point in time where Link thought Zelda was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. But after spending only a few years with Malon, he was not very sure about what to think anymore.

Maybe it was the way she smiled; maybe it was the light running across her flowing orange hair; but Link knew one thing for certain: He would gladly give up his past life as a warrior a thousand times over if it meant spending the rest of it with her, no matter how different that life would be in comparison. If only he could express it to her.

For now, there was only one thing Link could do. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the wooden ocarina, and began playing a soft melody.

The song resembled Epona's song in several ways, except for the addition of several notes and being played slower. Link had his eyes closed while playing, so he did not notice Malon's smile as she watched him attentively, and then rested her head against his shoulder.

Link continued to play the ocarina as Malon slowly drifted off, neither of them aware of Bonooru slowly dancing behind them to the melody as they both looked at the sunset.

* * *

 **Note: This will be a Two-Shot. Expect the next chapter soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Link at 16**_

The bleachers provided a cool shade over Link as he sat looking at the horses. Even though the sun was particularly hot, the horses still enjoyed their daily run across the pen. Epona seemed to be having just as much fun as the rest with how fast she galloped from one side to the other. The sight always made Link happy.

Link was not just happy because of the horses, however. It also happened to be his sixteenth birthday. The year that he had jumped to when he first grabbed the Master Sword from its pedestal.

Zelda had sent him back in time to live out the years that he had lost; and Link could say to himself with full certainty that he had lived them to the fullest potential in Lon Lon Ranch with Malon, even if some would say it was only an average life compared to others.

Taking a deep breath, Link closed his eyes and leaned back on the bleachers and simply enjoyed the sound of the horses galloping for a while. A few minutes after, he heard footsteps in the grass that got closer and did not sound like horse hooves. He opened his eyes and smiled when it turned out to be Malon.

"Hi," she greeted and sat down beside him.

"Hi," Link replied.

Malon nervously tapped her fingers against her knees as she kept her eyes on the horses. "I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

"Thanks," Link replied. "It's a special one to me."

"I can imagine. Finally going into adulthood. I can't believe it's already been five years since you started working here. Have you enjoyed it so far?"

"I think it's safe to say I have. I never thought of myself as being a rancher but here I am."

"When we first met you were carrying a sword and a shield on your back. I don't know what kind of life you used to have, but I bet it was pretty exciting."

"It had its moments. Though it was a very short part of my life."

Link told himself it was technically true. Even if it spanned between different years, he ended staying a young boy in the end. His life of traveling Hyrule did not last very long.

"I didn't just come by to talk, though," Malon said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small wrapped box with a green bow. "I wanted to give you this. I've never given you anything for your birthday in the last few years."

Link stared at the box for a few seconds as Malon held it out for him. "Malon, you didn't have to-"

"I know," she interrupted. "But I wanted to give you something special."

Not wanting to argue with her further, Link reached out and grabbed the box from Malon's hand. He unwrapped the bow from the top and removed some of the wrapping before getting to the actual box. It was not very big, but it felt a bit heavy. When he removed the top he was surprised to see another ocarina inside.

Unlike his own ocarina, which had become withered over the years from use, the one inside the box looked almost brand new. There were small carving along the smooth wooden surface of horses with their front legs raised in the air. On the back of the ocarina was Link's name, inscribed with quite possibly the most beautiful handwriting he had ever seen.

"Did… did you make this?" Link asked.

"Do you like it?" Malon asked as she rubbed her arm nervously.

He slowly raised the ocarina up to his mouth and played a single note. The change would not have been noticeable to anyone else, but Link could tell the new ocarina played a better tune than his old one. After testing with a few more notes, he chuckled and looked at Malon. "Where did you learn to carve like this? This is really well done."

"It used to be a hobby of my mom's when she was still alive. After she died, I started practicing making carvings myself until I was as good as her. I guess I was just trying to find something to remember her by. Although, I don't think I could ever make carvings as good as the ones she did."

Talking about her mother seemed to have upset Malon because she turned her gaze down and a look of sadness filled her face. Without a warning, however, her head jolted back up when Link pulled her into a gentle hug.

"Singing; horse riding; carving," he listed out. "You really have a lot of great gifts, Malon."

She was hesitant at first, but Malon found it in herself to extend her own arms and wrap them around Link. She would never have let Link see it, but a single tear was dropping from her eye, which she wiped away before they separated from their hug.

"I guess I should give you something in return for this great gift," Link said.

"Of course not," Malon protested. "It's your birthday, not mine."

"The thing is, while this ocarina is spectacular, I don't think even it could make great tunes on its own." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his old wooden ocarina. "Do you want to play with me?"

Malon hesitantly reached for the ocarina. "I've only tried playing a few times. I'm not very good at it…"

"Then I'll show you. Watch me."

Link raised the new ocarina and began to slowly play Epona's song with it. The horse was already galloping towards him before he finished and stopped right in front of his face. Malon made sure to pay close attention to how he played the song.

Once he finished, Link petted Epona and looked at Malon. "Now you try. Call Epona over to you."

Malon had always preferred to sing to Epona rather than play, so having to do it for the first time in front of Link made her uneasy. Nevertheless, she raised the ocarina up to her mouth, closed her eyes, and she began to play.

The first notes of the song went pretty well, and Epona turned her head in the direction of the melody. Unfortunately, Malon hit a sour note and Epona turned her attention back to Link. When Malon saw this, she put the ocarina back down and sighed in frustration.

"It's okay. Just try again," Link said.

Malon raised the ocarina back up to her mouth and tried again. And again, she failed to play the entire song until the end. Rather than giving up, however, she took a deep breath and began playing a third time. Her face lightened up and she laughed when she managed to play the entire song, prompting Epona to walk over to her and begin licking her forehead.

When Epona backed away, Malon handed the ocarina over to Link. "Here you go."

"The ocarina is yours now," Link replied as he gently pushed it away. "You can play it whenever you want."

Malon smiled and held the ocarina close to her. She stopped petting Epona and ordered the horse to go back to galloping with the others, leaving Link and her alone again.

"Wanna keep practicing?" Link asked.

"Sure," Malon replied.

They both raised their ocarinas and began to play together, filling the air with the sound of the gentle tunes. Link would remember this day as one of his best birthdays ever.

* * *

A few days later, Link was busy gathering all of the cuccos to get them outside of the house. Once all of them were outside and strutting about, cracked his fingers as he outstretched his arms in the air, groaning as he did.

Talon's snoring was the loudest thing Link had heard all morning. The old rancher had fallen asleep right outside his house's door and was lying against the wall. Ingo had tried to carry him inside but gave up when Talon ended up being too heavy for him to carry. Link and Malon decided to leave him be until it was nighttime.

The sound of a neighing horse hit his ear, causing it to twitch. He looked over at the pen, which was already filled with all of the horses as they galloped and were being sung to by Malon. However, the horse he heard did not come from the pen itself.

"Where is that…?"

Before Link could finish his questioning, a horse rode into the ranch from the main entrance, causing him to jump back a bit as it came to a sudden stop in front of him. A masked stranger sat on top of the horse, looking down at Link with her red eyes. Despite the mas, however, Link could tell who it was.

' _Impa?!'_

The Sheikah took off her mask and said no word as she kept looking at Link. Before he could ask another question, another horse rode in from behind Impa, carrying another rider. This one was none other than Princess Zelda herself.

Her horse neighed, causing Talon to wake up from all the noise, and looked down at Link. She looked just as he remembered her when she was his age as well. After him abruptly leaving her in the courtyard of the palace seven years ago, he never thought he would lay eyes on her again; much less inside of Lon Lon Ranch. And yet here she was.

Impa got off of her horse and took the princess's hand as she helped her dismount her own. Ingo had been drawn out to the commotion and Malon as well, who stood just behind Link.

"Princess," Talon said in surprise. "Why… this is quite the honor. We weren't…"

"Formalities aren't needed," Zelda kindly said. "I'm here as a guest."

"What can we help with?" Talon asked, standing straight.

"To put it simply, Lon Lon Ranch has served my father and Castle Town well for many years. I thought it would be a nice reprieve from the castle to come here and enjoy the lovely scenery, seeing as I've never actually been to your ranch."

Talon muttered and straightened his outfit. "Well, I'd be delighted to give you a tour of the ranch."

"Oh no," Malon whispered to Link. "If he falls asleep in the middle of the tour, it'll make him look foolish."

Taking Malon's words into account, Link stepped forward. "If I may, I would be more than happy to give you the tour, princess. Talon here is a very busy man."

Ingo grumbled under his breath at Link's statement about Talon but made no comment. Zelda turned to face Link. "Oh? Well, that would be lovely." She turned to Impa. "Impa, would you kindly stay here and watch the horses? I won't be very long."

Impa turned her gaze to Link, narrowing her eyes and making him uneasy. "Very well, princess. Stay safe."

Zelda smiled and walked next to Link. "What shall I call you?"

"Uh, Link," he answered. "My name is Link."

"Link… Alright, then. Shall we go?"

Link nodded and gestured further into the ranch. As the two of them walked away, Link took a quick glance at Malon, who gave him an approving nod as she led her father back inside the house.

While walking, Link gently pulled Zelda by the arm when she nearly stepped on a passing cucco. "Be careful. They can be vicious if provoked."

Their first stop was just outside the horse pen. Zelda leaned against the wooden frame as she watched the horses eating grass and walking around, all with a smile on her face. "It must be very nice seeing these creatures up close every day."

"Yeah, it is," he replied.

"Spending most of your life inside of a castle, people think you're enjoying the best life possible. When, in fact, you're actually missing some of the best parts of life. Traveling being one of them."

Link nodded, even though she was busy looking at the horses to notice. He tapped her on the arm to get her attention. "Watch this."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ocarina Malon had given him, making Zelda smile widely.

"You know how to play the ocarina?" she asked.

Link nodded. He brought the instrument up to his mouth and began to play Epona's song, making the horse gallop all the way towards them stand right outside the wooden fence. Zelda giggled as she slowly put her hand through the gate and petted Epona's mane. "She's very pretty. Does she have a name?"

"Epona," Link replied. "Sort of the pride and joy of this ranch."

"Do you know any other songs with the ocarina, Link?" she asked while continuing to pet Epona.

Link thought for a moment as he looked at the ocarina then back at her. "Well… there is one song you might like."

He raised the ocarina again and began playing another tune; one that Zelda herself knew all too well. Zelda simply listened as the strange song began to sound strangely familiar, making her look at Link with a look confusion and then surprise. The song he was playing was her lullaby.

Every single note was right. It was strange how Link knew of such a song since she never remembered teaching it to anybody. She raised her hand and stopped him before he could finish the song, taking a few steps away from him afterwards.

"Wha… How do you know that song?" she asked.

"Impa taught it to me," Link replied.

"What? Why would Impa teach that song to you? When did she?" Link put the ocarina back in his pocket and sighed. Zelda studied his expression further, and she suddenly recognized him. "Wait… I know you! You're the same boy who suck into the castle all those years ago and suddenly left." She walked closer until she was only inches from Link's face. "Who are you? Really?"

Link spent some time coming up with the right words. "The thing is… you and I used to know each other. Well, we never actually did now…"

Zelda narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about? I know almost nothing about you."

"It's kind of a long story…"

"I have plenty of time," she said as she crossed her arms. "Try me."

Link looked back to where everyone else was to make sure they were not being watched. When he was sure they were clear, he grabbed Zelda by the arm gently and led her to the other side of the horse pen, behind the bleachers. He made sure no one was aware of their location and looked at Zelda, who was still waiting for his explanation.

"Okay," he said. "It all started seven years ago…"

Link started all the way back from the beginning. Him leaving the forest; talking with her as children; the Ocarina of Time; the Sages; and the troubles plaguing the land at the hands of Ganondorf.

Zelda spent the entire time listening to every single word, making sure to not miss a single detail. It was hard for Link to tell if she actually believed anything he was telling her, but he pressed on anyway. He hoped that Zelda's expression softening meant anything.

"And then we both parted ways for good," Link said as he started to finish the story. "I lived the next years working here in Lon Lon Ranch, trying to get by outside of Kokiri Forest after I was kicked out. Haven't looked back since."

Link was expecting Zelda to slap him, shrug him off, or maybe have Impa beat him senseless; but instead she stood staring at him with a blank expression. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"I know you probably don't believe any of this, but-"

"I do," Zelda cut him off.

Link's eyes widened in surprise. "You do?"

"It's… it's a lot to take in. But I can tell when someone is lying. And I'm certain you didn't lie about anything that you just said. I believe you."

Link would have taken a breath of relief but decided to just smile. "Thanks."

"But, Link, why did you run away when you came back. Why did you decide to tell me now rather than when we were children?"

"Because I thought you would call me crazy. The only reason I told you now is because… it was something I wanted to get off my chest for these past years. I just couldn't do it, that's all."

"Would you have done it if I never came to the ranch?"

Link opened his mouth and no words came out of it for a brief moment. "I don't know."

"And what about them?" she said while gesturing where Talon, Malon, and Ingo were.

"Definitely not. I barely had hopes that _you_ would believe me. I highly doubt they would."

"And you plan on always keeping it from them?"

"Yes."

Zelda locked her fingers together and look down. "I suppose… it would be for the best. I'm just happy you got to have a life after all." She looked back up and smiled at him before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you."

Link was hesitant, but eventually returned the hug. "So, should we continue with the tour?"

Zelda stood back from the hug. "I think I've already seen plenty of this beautiful ranch. I best be heading to Castle Town."

"Okay. I guess this is good-bye again."

"It is. You've built a good life here, Link. I would hate to deprive you of it. Though, that's not to say we might not see each other again. Good-bye."

Zelda began to walk back towards the entrance of the ranch, giving one last wave to Link before disappearing from his sight. Meanwhile, he remained behind the bleachers with his back against the wooden fence, chuckling to himself.

"You highly doubt it, huh?"

Link quickly turned around at the mysterious voice behind, which turned out to be Malon. She came from around the bleachers and looked at Link through the fence, not looking happy at all.

"Malon?! I… How long have you been hiding there?"

"Long enough," she replied. "Enough to know you've lied to me these past years. Enough to know you're friends with Zelda. Enough to know that someone who I once thought was just a normal friend turns out to be the savior of all Hyrule!"

Link made all kinds of small gestures with his hands as he tried to come up with what to say. "I… I didn't tell you because-"

"Because we wouldn't believe you, I know. But you didn't seem to have much problem telling Zelda."

"Malon, please-"

"She didn't even recognize you when she rode into the ranch. You've known her for a lot less time and yet you trust her more."

"It's different!" Link shouted as he slammed his arm against the fence. Aside from jolting a bit, Malon remained still as Link calmed himself down. "It's different…"

Malon looked down at the ground then back at Link. "There's still work to do around the ranch. Better get to it, hero."

Without saying another word, Malon stood back from the fence and began to walk away, leaving Link on his own. All he could do was watch as she got further away.

 _ **Link at 19**_

A horse drank water from the bucket Link held in front of him, sometimes making some of it land on him. When the bucket was fully empty, Link rubbed the horse across its mane and went ahead to fill it up with more water. The next horse Link would give water too was Epona, who was standing quietly in her own stall. She brightened up when Link walked over and began to drink water as well.

The crickets were currently chirping outside as the moon shined over the darkened ranch. The only source of light Link had inside the stables was the warm light of a lamp in the corner. As Epona drank, Link silently hummed her song for the duration that he could.

When Epona was only halfway through drinking the water in the bucket, Link pulled it away from her as he heard the stable door open, and Malon came in.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey," Link greeted back. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Are you assuming I still have a bedtime?" Malon asked.

"No. But it's rather late for you to be up, isn't it?"

She walked closer and leaned against the frame of Epona's stall, petting her. "I heard someone inside the stable as I walked by. Since my dad is sleeping and Mr. Ingo is currently in Castle Town on business, I figured it was you. I just wanted to drop in and say hello."

"Hello to you too. But I was gonna go to sleep once I was done here anyway."

"Here. Let me help," Malon said as she reached for the bucket of water.

"It's okay. I got this."

Malon pulled back her hand and crossed her arms. "Link, don't you sometimes wish you could have just a few days off? You work even harder than Mr. Ingo does and yet you always refuse long breaks. I could do some of the work as well."

"It's a nice gesture, but work is the only thing I do every day. If I don't, I sorta have nothing else to look forward to."

"Nothing?" Malon asked, hoping he would understand her gesture.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Not that I can think of."

Malon lowered her head. "Oh. At least let me help for tonight, though. I have nothing to do either."

Link was hesitant but finally ended up handing her the water bucket. She tipped a little at first since there was still a lot of water in it, but she was still able to lift it all the way up to Epona's mouth.

"You know…" Malon said as she kept giving Epona water, "you always have me to look forward to. We're friends, after all. And I would appreciate us hanging out more. We barely have these last couple of years since you're always so busy."

While Malon thought that was the case, Link's excuse was completely different.

Aside from the fact that he had lied to her, though it was years ago, he never got over it. He would also see Malon differently as more time passed. He started out liking her for who she was and the way she acted; then he also saw her for how beautiful she was the more the two of them grew; and now, he began to see her as something more.

Every time Link would stand around her, he only wanted to hold her as close as possible. Every little detail about her caught his eye; from the way her chest moved when she breathed in and out, to the times when she turned her back to him and admire the way she walked away. All of these strange feelings gave him all the reason to get away from her at certain times.

"Malon," Link said, getting her attention. "The thing is, I…" he thought for a moment about what he would say, "The reason why I didn't talk to you as much is because of what I did. I just wanted to say that… I'm sorry."

Malon slowly lowered the bucket of water just before Epona could finish it all. "What do you mean?"

Link was thankful the lack of light hid his blush as he took a quick breath. "You know… for what happened three years ago with Zelda. I know it was terrible of me to think you wouldn't believe me if I told you about what happened with me and Ganondorf, but-"

"Link, it's fine. I may have been mad about that a while ago but I completely understand now. We're not gonna stop being friends just because of that. In fact, I was actually more just surprised than mad. I overreacted back then."

"No you didn't. You had every right to scold me. I just thought that I could completely escape from that life if I just kept it locked away forever. I just wanted to live a normal life without having to bring up memories of the past… or the future. I just want to live a normal life with… you."

Malon watched Link with attentive eyes. "With me? What do you mean?"

Link stuttered, attempting to find the right way to express what he meant. However, rather than doing so by words, he closed his eyes and abruptly pulled Malon closer by the shoulders into a gentle kiss.

The sudden action made Malon's eyes widen to their fullest extent and breathe deeply through her nose. She dropped the bucket of water on the ground and whatever was left inside spilled on the ground. The longer the kiss lasted, the more Malon's eyes began to close on their own.

Epona neighed as the two continued to kiss, either surprised by what they were doing or annoyed that the water bucket had been dropped. Still, Link and Malon paid her no mind as they pulled away from the kiss; both of their cheeks completely red.

Link stuttered as he tried speaking. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't…"

Before Link could finish, Malon gently placed both of her hands on his cheeks and pulled him into another, longer lasting kiss. Their faces stayed only inches from each other when they separated as they kept their arms wrapped around one another.

"Oh, Link. I've been waiting so long for us to do that," Malon said.

Link responded with a smile and kissed her again. He ran his hands over her entire back as she ran her thumb gently over his cheek. Without breaking the kiss or opening their eyes, they both walked into the empty stall next to Epona's and lied on the small, soft hay pile inside.

Malon had her back on the hay while Link supported himself with his arms over her. One of his hands ran down the side of her abdomen and rested below her thigh, making her shiver in between breaths.

She gently pushed Link away to break the kiss and softly chuckled. "Link… Epona is right there."

Link looked over at the horse, who seemed to be paying no mind to the two of them. "She doesn't seem to mind us at all."

He leaned down and began to kiss Malon again. His lips trailed off from hers and instead began kissing her cheek, then they trailed further down to her neck. She could only lie perfectly still and shiver as he continued to run his hand across her body, eventually reaching up and grabbing his well-toned arms from all of his time working at the ranch.

Without any warning, Malon grabbed Link's shoulders and turned him over on his back, allowing her to be the one sitting on top. She was already furiously kissing him before he could get the chance to say a single word. Nevertheless, he accepted it and pulled her even closer.

As Link wrapped his arms around her, he came across the straps of her dress. One by one, he began to loosen all of them from the top down until reaching the last. When she felt her top come loose, Malon lifted herself up and give Link the chance to take it off and throw it to the side. And as it turned out, she was not wearing a bra underneath it.

Despite the urge to cover herself, Malon allowed Link to look at her as her cheeks became even redder. She would not dare to look at him directly in the face, but she could sense his eyes moving all around as they scanned her body. She could only look at him when he turned her head forward himself, pulling her into another kiss.

While keeping her eyes closed, Malon began to take off Link's tunic. He helped her by boosting himself up and letting her remove it all. Their bare chests touched each other as Link sat up to begin removing her skirt. A loud clang filled the air as he tossed it to the side. When he looked over, it turned out to be the wooden ocarina he had given her.

"You kept it?" he asked.

Malon looked at him as if he had just asked the most horrendous question ever. "Of course! It's special to me."

Link smiled and leaned up to kiss her. He then proceeded to remove her shoes. Once he finished, he failed to remove her underwear in time before Malon pushed him flat on the ground again.

"Be patient," she said. "You're not the only one who gets to have fun."

Malon then began to unbutton Link's pants. She pulled them off and tossed them to the side, careful not to accidentally break the ocarina in one of its pockets. Afterwards, she leaned up and kissed him while running her hands across his chest, giving Link the opportunity to finish taking off her underwear.

While Malon had been nervous about letting Link see her at first, she had quickly become accustomed to being around him that she made no attempts at hiding her naked form. It also helped to ease her tension that she was able to take off all of Link's remaining clothing as well while he was left staring at her.

Now Link and Malon were both fully exposed, letting themselves gaze at one another. Link placed both of his hands on Malon's hips, still paranoid about placing them anywhere else. However, Malon made the decision for him and gently grabbed his hands with her own, slowly dragging them up the skin of her hips, abdomen, and ribs until they rested on top of her breasts. Link blushed deeply as Malon shivered at the contact between them, and she leaned closer to him.

"Link… I love you," she whispered.

"I… I love you too, Malon," he replied.

Malon stared down at him with her blue eyes, which shined even with the low amount of light in the room. She grabbed Link by his arms and slowly pulled him up to a sitting position until his lips could reach hers. His arms found their way to her back and moved up and down across her skin.

Without breaking the kiss, Malon slowly began to move herself forward. When her thighs rubbed against Link's lower abdomen, he gently moved his own hips upwards, forcing Malon to finally break the kiss and wince from the contact between the two of them.

"Are you okay?" Link asked.

Malon nodded and took a deep breath. Her movement was slow as she began to move up and down on top of Link. He simply held her by her sides and kissed her neck while remaining still to give her enough space to move on her own. After only a few seconds, Malon's groans of discomfort turned to moans of pleasure than ran through her entire body.

Link directed his kissing further down until he reached in between her breasts. She directed her hand over to his hair and gripped it tightly, while also making sure she did not accidentally pull on it too hard. Everything afterwards was just non-stop pleasure as she continued to move.

Their bodies were beginning to get drenched in sweat and it caused Link's hands to slide more easily across Malon's back. The fact that her father was a heavy sleeper and could not hear them made Link glad on account of how much moaning Malon was doing along with his occasional grunting. Even though he had to admit having horses all around them was a bit awkward, he was too busy staring at Malon's beauty for him to notice any of them.

Malon's movements had gotten quicker, but they were still slow enough to give both of them enough breathing room. She sometimes used one of her hands to playfully twirl the hair around Link's ears before going back to gripping it with some extra force. She would also plucking out the pieces of hay that had gotten stuck in his hair and threw them back in the pile.

Not being able to hold back any longer, Link took a good hold of Malon and turned her over with her back to the hay pile, allowing him to lie on top of her. He supported himself a few inches above her torso with his arms raised on the ground, holding on to Malon's hands in the process.

As Link began to move himself up and down, Malon remained still with her eyes closed and allowed herself to relax beneath her lover. While moving, he also leaned his head down and kissed her neck several times in between thrusts. It was hard to tell how much time had passed since they started, but Epona and the rest of the horses had all fallen asleep in their stalls despite their constant noise.

Both lovers were nearing their limits as their breathing became ecstatic and their movements quick; and Malon's moaning was just a few notches away from turning into screams.

The final thrust Link made would have made Malon moan at the top of her lungs if he had not covered most of the sound with a kiss. Their hands wrapped themselves around each other to the point where the fingertips turned completely white.

When Link separated his lips from Malon's, their heavy breathing was all that filled the room. He wiped away a single a strand of hair that was blocking the full view of her face and kissed her again afterwards. "Was that enough fun for you?"

Malon giggled and pulled his forehead against hers. "It was. Man, you have hay all over you."

He looked down as Malon wiped away some of the hay stuck to his body. It was all for nothing, however, since Link just lied back down on it as he got off from the top of Malon.

The two lovers remained on the hay pile for a while wrapped in each other's arms. Malon ran her hand over Link's chest in a circular motion as he stared up at the stable's ceiling. Crickets chirping outside and the breathing of all the sleeping horses were the only sounds audible to them.

"Link, can I ask you something?" Malon asked.

"What?" asked Link while continuing to stare at the ceiling.

"Why did you pick me?"

Link looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, from what I can gather, I'm pretty sure you had a good chance to be with Princess Zelda rather than me. Any other men I know would've taken it."

Her gaze met his when he turned her head towards him. "If Zelda ever wants to hang out she can invite me over for tea or something. As for being with someone I truly love, I would prefer you over any royalty any day. It's the reason why I gave up on my old life."

Malon smiled and snuggled close to him, trying hard to hold back the tear that was trying to escape her eye. "I love you, hero."

Link smiled and kissed her on her head. "You know what you used to call me when we met in a past time?"

She looked up at him. "What?"

"Fairy boy."

The comment made Malon laugh. "Fairy boy?! Oh, I'm gonna call you that from now on."

Link's smile eventually died down as he realized his huge mistake. "Wait… what?"

 _ **Link at 21**_

All of the animals had been locked up for the day, preparing to sleep for another night. The wolves were already howling to welcome the night as the moon rose over the horizon. And just outside of the stables was Link, who looked tired beyond all reason.

When he stepped inside the house, he was careful to not accidentally trip over any of the sleeping cuccos and he made his way up the stairs to the bedroom. He made sure to open the door very slowly to keep Malon from waking up as she sleep soundly on the bed. The sight brought a smile to his face and he closed the door again jut as quietly.

The first thing Link noticed shortly after entering was the crib located near the bottom frame of the bed. He walked over to it and rested his hands on the wooden frames that Malon had carved herself, looking down at the small boy sleeping peacefully in it.

His blonde hair was still short, so his pointy ears looked really big compared to the rest of his head. Since he was already over two years old, the crib was beginning to get too big for him. There was a small wooden sword lying next to him in the crib. Link made a mental note to get him a proper bed as he leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"Sleep tight, Valon," he whispered in the boy's ear.

He stood up straight took off his shoes along with his tunic while walking towards his side of the bed. The wooden ocarina Malon gave him was lying on a small table near the bed, along with a note he had not seen before. He picked up the piece of paper and read what it said.

 _Dear Malon,_

 _Ingo and I have been enjoying living Kakariko Village very much. The people here are very kind and none of them seem to mind whenever I fall asleep. Perhaps it's because I'm actually starting to look old. Ha!_

 _I hope you and Link are doing well with the ranch. Retirement has never really crossed my mind while working at the old place. I always thought I would just rot away sleeping on some corner and Ingo would be forced to burry my remains (If he could even lift me off the ground)._

 _I must admit, I never really thought you would actually do it, but I'm glad you and Link decided to get married. I always had a soft spot for the lad, and the fact that you took your vows to each other shortly after deciding to be together was surprising, but at least there was great reason for it._

 _Lots of love, your father, Talon._

 _P.S. Give my grandson a kiss for me, will ya?_

Link chuckled and put the note back on the table. A small creaking noise alerted him to Malon as she turned to face him, rubbing one of her eyes in the process.

"Hey," she said tiredly.

"Hey," Link replied as he climbed onto the bed along with her.

"I thought you were gonna spend the night inside the stables for a second."

"Heh, you know I wouldn't leave you here by yourself."

"I'm not by myself, though. I got the brave knight watching over me."

Link chuckled as he looked down at Valon in the crib. "Do you think he likes me?"

Malon rolled her eyes. "Link, that has to be the dumbest question you could possibly ask about your own son."

"I mean, do you think I'm a good father to him?"

"Of course." She grabbed his chin and pulled him into a kiss. "The best father there is."

"The best, huh? In that case, why don't we just fill the entire ranch with children?"

Link was being sarcastic, but then he remembered who he was talking to. She smirked at him and ran her hand over his cheek.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," she said. Before Link had the chance to answer, she turned her back to him and went back to sleep. "Good-night, fairy boy."

"Aw, come on. Please don't call me that."

"You brought it upon yourself."

Malon chuckled and remained silent afterwards. Link lied down on his side as well and wrapped his arms around Malon, pulling her closer to him as he closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of holding his lover so close to him.

"Good-night, Malon."

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
